Suicide prevention training: Its impact on college students of color

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative study is to investigate whether QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide prevention training is effective in increasing knowledge of suicide prevention among students of color, specifically Latino/a, Asian American, and Black/African American college students. This study involves secondary data analysis of 502 students who participated in a QPR training from Fall 2012 to Fall 2014. The data was collected by a suicide prevention program in Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at a public university in Southern California. The findings of the study revealed statistical significance in all nine areas of knowledge for all participants before and after receiving QPR training. The findings indicate an increase in knowledge among students of color and the likelihood that the participants would approach someone who may be at-risk for suicide and assist the individual in seeking appropriate professional resources. Implications, recommendations for practice, and directions for future research are discussed.